THE ASCENSION OF THE LORD
17 MAY 2015
Saint Luke tells us that Jesus was taken
up into heaven. This taking up of
Jesus is an essential part of the Paschal Mystery. Jesus showed incredible trust in his Father
during his earthly ministry. He trusted
that his Father knew what he was doing when he carried his cross to
Calvary. He could trust, because he had
learned detachment. In being removed
from his physical existence in this world, he trusts his disciples to carry on
his mission, even though he knows they are clueless. He trusts them even when they ask a really
dumb question about when he would kick out the Romans and restore the Kingdom
of Israel.
As Jesus is taken up, two men
dressed in white tell the disciples to take a journey within. In taking a long, sobering look within their
own souls, they begin the process of learning to be detached. They are like young parents who are holding
their first newborn child in their arms.
Filled with joy, they suddenly ask themselves, “What now?” As the reality of a new child sinks in, they
will eventually learn how to detach themselves from so many things they had considered
important to focus on the needs of their child.
That is why the two men dressed in white
garments tell the disciples that they now need to take the journey out. Saint Mark tells us that they went forth and
preached everywhere. Filled with the
Holy Spirit, they could speak the language of love, which drove out demons,
allowed them to handle slippery situations, bring the healing power of Jesus to
people, and not be afraid to swallow insults from others.
As we reflect on the Mystery of the
Ascension, the Lord invites us to respond to the trust he has given us. He has been taken up. We respond by taking a journey within. In taking that long and sobering look at our
souls, we will discover the gifts and talents God has given us. Then the Lord sends us on the journey outside
ourselves. He wants us to trust him and
learn detachment, so that we can be free to proclaim the Kingdom of God through
our service to our families and to our parish.
That is why the message of
stewardship is so important. Stewardship
gives us a structure way of responding in faith to the Mystery of the
Ascension. During Lent, we renewed our
stewardship of prayer. Today, we are
invited to renew our stewardship of service.
Please read the materials in your stewardship of service packet. Please consider renewing your commitment or
making a new one. As you take this
journey within and pray over how you can move out, please listen to Phil
Hayes. Phil has been a faithful
catechist in our CCD program for many years.
As he speaks of his humble service, listen to the Holy Spirit nudging
you to take a step in faith and allow the Lord to work through you, as he
worked through those first disciples.
No comments:
Post a Comment